France: Automotive Expert Named New CEO of World's Largest Maltster

Six months after acquiring United Malt Group (UMG), Malteries Soufflet appoints Jorge Solis as CEO. Reporting to Thierry Blandinières, Solis will join the InVivo Group Executive Committee.

With 30 years of experience in international industrial companies, Solis has held management positions in Mexico, the United States, France, and Belgium.

His main tasks with Soufflet are said to be:

a) Developing both the product offerings and target markets while enhancing the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) policy, enabling Malteries Soufflet to become a leader in the ecological transition within the malt market.

b) Achieving synergies, developing a common culture, and deploying operational excellence between Malteries Soufflet and the recently acquired UMG. The acquisition, announced in March 2023 (inside.beer, 27.3.2023) and signed in July 2023 (inside.beer, 3.7.2023), created the world's largest maltster with an annual production capacity of 3.7 million tons of malt in 41 plants across 20 countries.

Solis holds master's degrees in industrial engineering and international marketing, and completed the INSEAD General Management Program in 2010. During his thirty years of professional experience, he has gained deep insights into the supply side of the automotive industry. Now, he is eager to apply his expertise to the grain trade, food supply, and agriculture sectors.

He started his career in 1994 as a production manager and joined Valeo, French global automotive supplier in 1995, where he served for 16 years in various roles including Quality Manager and Purchasing Director in Mexico, the USA, and France. In 2010, he joined the Brussels’ office of WABCO, formerly a U.S.-based provider of electronic braking, stability, suspension and transmission automation systems for heavy-duty commercial vehicles, holding several Vice President roles before becoming President of the Truck, Bus & Car Division from 2016 to 2019. From 2019 to 2023, he was CEO of Punch Powertrain, a Belgian gearbox manufacturer.

"I am delighted to welcome Jorge Solis as CEO of Malteries Soufflet. His extensive and diverse career experience will contribute to our future success," says Thierry Blandinières, CEO of InVivo.

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